Project 4

Critique of Project 2

Moving Pictures
This is a little out of order, but i never got around to critiquing this project. I really enjoyed making this piece although it was ridiculously time consuming. It is a look at the evolution of film through running and chase scenes, some of the most exciting moments in films. I choose a clip from one movie from every year from 1920 to 1981.
One question addressed in the critique of this project was the quality of the clips. Since they came from youtube and most were of early film i didn't have much of a selection. Once i started getting clips from every year i couldn't skip a year just because i could not find a clip in higher quality. That became really frustrating.
Another issue raised was the fact that it was not quite clear that this presented sequential clips. I think that is because people expect the change from black and white film to color to just occur in one time period when that is just not the case. Films were made in both black and white and color for many years, even today the occasional black and white film still appears if it suits the subject.
The other issue addressed was my choice of ending. One factor was that i simple ran out of time, but i have actually come to like the ending. I think it is fitting to end with one of the most recognizable and quintessential running scenes in film history. If i had to change it i would continue up until the present year but then it could just keep going and going so ill stick to what i have.

Critique of Project 3

A Small Goal

One question addressed in my project was what sound to put to it. I decided it would be best simply to have someone read the poem over the piece. The piece is pretty simple, as is its interpretation of the poem so i decided to keep it simple. I added a version of Brahms lullaby in the backround because i thought it fit the quite simplicity of the piece.
The second question addressed in my project was basically what it was about. It was unfinished so it couldn't be critiqued or understood fully. I think the poem illustrates what's going on pretty well. It's a very simply concept and interpretation. It has no deep meaning its just a doll moving to a more comfortable location. A simple goal just like in the poem. 

Project 3

Project 3 Poem

On such a night, or such a night
Emily Dickinson

146

On such a night, or such a night,
Would anybody care
If such a little figure
Slipped quiet from its chair—

So quiet—Oh how quiet,
That nobody might know
But that the little figure
Rocked softer—to and fro—

On such a dawn, or such a dawn—
Would anybody sigh
That such a little figure
Too sound asleep did lie

For Chanticleer to wake it—
Or stirring house below—
Or giddy bird in orchard—
Or early task to do?

There was a little figure plump
For every little knoll—
Busy needles, and spools of thread—
And trudging feet from school—

Playmates, and holidays, and nuts—
And visions vast and small—
Strange that the feet so precious charged
Should reach so small a goal!

Project 2

Critique of Project 1

Clue
To make this piece more compelling i could continue to add images and text which made the video more story like. There would not necessarily have to have an outcome, i do like the idea that the ending is unknown like the game which i was illustrating, but it could be more detailed in the scenarios which lead to the man on the floor. There could be more text to help illustrate what had happened and more sound to accompany the images and enhance the mood.

I think what was successful in my video was the images themselves. I was happy with how the they turned out, the light and color was what i was going for. The border worked as well, it flowed with the mood of the piece. I also found the increasing speed of images to be successful i thought the circular pattern which the final images made was an interesting effect that visually drew in the viewer.

I used sound to set a mood and period in the beginning of the piece. I used a record which was old and dated to add to the feeling that this was something taking place in the past. It was meant to have a vintage feel similar to the images. I thought the broken record was a useful tool to illustrate not only the repetitive nature of the game but also the mystery of something which is not quite right.

I started to edit the piece using the images. I arranged them in an order which worked to tell the story and then cut them to the amount of time which they were to be shown. I then added the text which i thought would help to understand the subject. I edited the text to move in the way i wanted and then added the sound. Since I'm terrible with sound i thought it would be best to have the images in place first and work off of that. I edited the initial sound to fade in and out and repeat where i zoomed in on the first image of the man on the floor. I think the sound was key in relating the time period in which this was supposed to take place. It also was useful in creating suspense.

In watching my piece without sound i found that it could have had continuing record play throughout the piece which sped up in some way to add to the anticipation. It might have been interesting if it was cut off at the end when the final image appears and fades out. Dialog could also have been used as a means of illustrating the different characters and adding that element of story. More sounds of the different weapons might also have been effective in creating different scenarios.

I'm not quite sure what to do for this project yet so i started by finding a couple of clips from some of my favorite films on you tube and posting them here. I figure that would be a good place to start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCqyRmLPI7U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5NXlMaLx4A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4U4aA0ZmVM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXS-Aucs7Co

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fezyDmoXdik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJO1jFi3Hvo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YWBOfsXsDA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLW5jzHsW7c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWYe-Ef3u5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhrYfJIkqPU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtA1jqIJJDw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paHSFXQfL5E

I like the idea of relating classic films to contemporary ones, that could be an interesting project but it might also take a lot of research and time but anyway, here is an example...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alwPLvo6Mm0

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxNZX4FAYdw

Another idea i thought would be fun was to focus solely on adventure films. This would be a new area for me to explore. Perhaps i could combine clips together to make a similar kind of swashbuckler/adventurer type scene. Clips from some of these films may work...
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Robin Hood (1922), The Mark of Zorro (1940), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) etc...

One more idea i had was to focus on one particular actor an combine different clips from his different roles to make a whole new scene with him being the sole actor. I though it would be fun to use Cary Grant films. His style is iconic and i think there are some great moments in his films that combined would be completely ridiculous.

Project 1

Project 1 Images

These are the first couple pictures i took for project 1.

Muted Comercials

KAY Jewelers
Watching this commercial without sound gave it a very distinct mood. The images were all very bright and the sponsor was portrayed very eloquently. Aspects of the scenes shifted in and out of focus to emphasize more important parts of the add. The company name, KAY, was featured throughout the add at numerous times and the sponsor, Jane Seymor, was seen wearing and holding the product. Simple black background, as opposed to the previous white ones, were used to display the product on its own. There were about 20 different shots making up the entire commercial.

Universal Orlando
This commercial viewed without sound was filled with rich and vivid colors. The image of a boy in a homemade super-suit encountering his grownup self created a sense of nostalgia. To add to that feeling multiple images of Universal characters, including Jurassic Park, Spiderman, and The Hulk, were seen later in even more vivid colors. This commercial had a similar amount of shots and ended with the company logo in the center of a black background.

Budlight
This commercial was slightly shorter then the previous two. It incorporated similar bright white tones to that of the first commercial. It used boring images of the workplace initially followed by more dramatic imagery, in this case a man flying out a window, to introduce the product. It also ended with the logo of the product, only in this case it sort of spun into view.

Pepsi
This commercial was significantly longer then the previous ones, likely because it was during the superbowl. It used images of the past in relation to images of the present. There was no need for sound, the images were so striking in their own right. The icons incorporated anything from Bob Dylan to Shrek. It used these recognizable images to bring its product into the same high profile catergory. Images were shown side by side or one after the other to make direct comparisons. The product was also shown at the very end of the commercial.

Doritos
This commercial also incorporated images from a typical workplace. It is shown in neutral dull colors, so the bright red and blue product stands out. It used humor to relay the importance of the product. The product is shown numerous times throughout the add both in the background and being held by the sponsor. The final logo is shown at the end also against a black background.

Slide-Show

This is the slide-show i put together in iphoto. I decided to use only the images that were of places or means of transportation. I also decided to change the color of the photos to better link them. I thought since the images were so random that they reminded me of a strange dream where your in one place one moment and a completely different one the next. I also thought that using the window twice would give it a begining and an end.

This Blog was created for my Digital Arts: Time Based class